Have a quick question, comment or piece of advice? Use this form and we'll get right back to you.
CAP was founded in 1990 to act as an advocate for the arts, serve the public by providing services and resources for county artists and arts organizations, and encourage collaboration among arts, education, business, civic and government organizations.Learn more
Published: December 12, 2009
(ITHACA, NY)- Five local artists received $1,000 each as part of the "CAP Stimulus Awards for Individual Artists." These special grants from the Community Arts Partnership of Tompkins County (CAP) were created to encourage local artists to not only advance their own careers, but also take part in re-invigorating the local economy. A grant panel of artists and community members reviewed applications from Tompkins County artists of all disciplines, finally deciding to award the fellowships to the following five local talents: Charity Rae Burger (photography/assemblage), Wendy Dann (playwright), Rob Licht (sculpture), Sally Lamb McCune (musical composition), and Wilka Roig (photography/installation art).
The creation of these awards came fresh on the heels of news that CAP had received one of the 27 American Recovery & Reinvestment Act Grant Awards through the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA). According to Brett Bossard, Executive Director of CAP, the Recovery Act award inspired CAP's board to re-allocate local funds for these special one-time grants. Bossard thinks the awards help spotlight the integral role of the arts and artists in the business and economic landscape of Tompkins County: "Just like every other professional in our community, artists buy local goods, frequent local businesses, and practice their trade locally. These awards exemplify the duty of the Community Arts Partnership to make sure local artists can continue to be part of the community in that way."
Award recipient Rob Licht thinks the program provides more than just a financial benefit. "To receive this stimulus grant is to receive an affirmation that the arts are every bit as worthy of public support as...anyone else that has received stimulus money in these hard times," says Licht, "Far above the financial boost, it is a huge boost to my artistic morale."
Other recipients have been inspired by another scarce resource these awards have helped them acquire: time. "I'm so delighted to have received this support," says playwright Wendy Dann. "It gives me the funding needed to continue the research required for the writing of my next project."
The stimulus awards were one of six grant programs administered by the Community Arts Partnership in 2009. Others included the New York State Council on the Arts funded Decentralization, CAP II, and Arts-in-Education grants, as well as the Linden Center for Creativity and Aging Community Arts Grants and the Tompkins County Tourism Program's Arts/Cultural Organization Development Grants. The grant disbursement from these six programs totaled more than $235,000.
CAP was founded in 1990 in response to a desire to strengthen and develop the County's arts and cultural community. After an exhaustive, inclusive, community cultural assessment, CAP was launched as a not-for-profit agency that would serve the public by providing services to the arts and artists of Tompkins County. For the past 19 years, CAP has done just that, helping to distribute nearly $2 million to artists and arts organizations in the community. For more information on the Community Arts Partnership and its programs and services, visit www.artspartner.org or call Program Director, Robin Schwartz at (607) 273-5072.
###
